Montcalm Hotel has utilised the lobby into an afternoon tea area! It also has a restaurant towards the back of the lobby. There were big flower displays including vases of orchids. It was a little chilly as the seating is next to the main entrance of the hotel.

There were lots of attentive staff who were very friendly and provided good service. It is a shame that the Lobby Lounge did not have any soft background music to help create a nice atmosphere.

The individual tables were decorated with cut white roses. The teapots were of a huge size and had matching white and gold teacups and saucers.

Montcalm had plenty of JING loose teas to choose from. The one that caught my eye was the Lychee Red. This was a black tea from Guangdong in China. It had a wonderful taste and the lychee flavour came through.

The finger sandwiches were ok. They were made from seeded white bread and had the fillings of egg, cheese and ham. On the sweet side of things, the plain scones were fairly small. That was fine with us as it meant that we would have room to try the cakes. We had the classic clotted cream and jam to go with the scones.

The selection of cakes were nicely presented. The chocolate macaroons were good with a crunchy outer and a soft centre. There were a couple of fruit tarts; a plum one and a berry one. The plum tart had a good pastry base and was not overly sweet. There was also an intriguing green cake which turned out to be a fresh cream sponge cake.

Afternoon tea at the Lobby Lounge was a relaxing experience. The staff did not rush us and we did not have a time limit, as can be the case with afternoon teas at some venues.

Lobby Lounge, Montcalm Hotel, 34-40 Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch, London, W1H 7TW

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